Abstract
The notions of deliberation and the frame of the discourse theory of
democracy (Habermas, 1996), have inspired a substantial strand of
studies focused on the internet’s democratic potential (See e.g. Kellner
(1999), Rheingold (1993), and Wilhelm (1999)). The central
accomplishment of these various contributions lies in the assessment of
the extent to which dialogical exchanges taking place in the cyberspace
conform to the normative requirements of the ‘counter-factual ideal’ of
public sphere (Dryzek, 1990). However, the contradictions that appear
when analyzing practical research findings from a comparative global
view, pose a dilemma that deals more with theoretical assumptions
rather than with the empirical methods applied.
The basic aim of the chapter is to organize critical discussion of the
feasibility to consider deliberation as the unique normative benchmark
for the assessment of the democratic potential of new media. For this
purpose, two major lines of reasoning will be developed. On one hand,
the theoretical roots of the concept of deliberation and the long wave of
criticisms drawn out by them, will be explored in order to underscore
the intrinsic shortages of the notion. On the other hand, it will be argued
that the empirical experiences coming from the web make the ideal of
the deliberative public sphere even less useful in order to understand the
political dimension that is taking place on it.
Consequently, a ‘cultural turn’ of the analytic perspective will be
proposed. Drawing from the model of ‘civic cultures’, developed by
Dahlgren (2009), the article will end by suggesting a set of parameters for
the analysis of online communication processes within their social and cultural preconditions
Lingua originale | English |
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Titolo della pubblicazione ospite | A trivial country |
Editor | FAUSTO COLOMBO |
Pagine | 17-30 |
Numero di pagine | 14 |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2010 |
Keywords
- habermas
- internet
- public sphere